The wrist strap which ‘cools’ you in heatwaves

A wrist strap which cools a person’s blood flow has been developed by a Nottingham Trent University student to sooth people during heatwaves.

Product Design student William Walter

William with his prototype

The wrist strap which ‘cools’ you in heatwaves

A wrist strap which cools a person’s blood flow has been developed by a Nottingham Trent University student to sooth people during heatwaves.

William Walter, 22, says his prototype - the Climati - could help athletes in difficult conditions and support older people in rising temperatures.

The technology centres on the use of a Peltier device and heat sink – which are usually found in computers – to target pulse points in a person’s wrist and apply a cooling sensation.

The aim is to make a person feel more relaxed psychologically, rather than reduce their body temperature which is regulated naturally by homeostasis.

“Many people can panic in the heat and feel overwhelmed on hot days,” said William, a BA Product Design student from Studley near Birmingham.

“Heatwaves particularly affect young children, older people and those in stressful working environments.

“But by providing an on-going cooling sensation, this stress can be alleviated to help people feel better.

“The sensation makes people feel cooler, rather than it actually reducing body temperature.

“With the surge of wearable technology today, this is an effective and real way of supporting people who may already be wearing things like smart watches.”

The technology can be transferred from a wrist strap and applied to other pulse points on the body, such as at the back of the neck.

The Peltier device also has potential to be used to charge the battery inside the device by converting heat flux from the body into usable energy. This could make the wearable fully self-sufficient piece of technology.

Unlike other methods to cool down, like a cold flannel or icepack, the Climati would stay at a constant set temperature and never warm to room temperature.

The device can cool down by as much as 10 degrees Celsius in a matter of seconds, but even a 2 degree fall in temperature can provide cooling sensations and comfort.

A vibration chip is included which can be toggled on or off to provide a further calming sensation to the wearer.

Notes for editors

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) was named University of the Year 2019 in the Guardian University Awards. The award was based on performance and improvement in the Guardian University Guide, retention of students from low-participation areas and attainment of BME students. NTU was also the Times Higher Education University of the Year 2017, and The Times and Sunday Times Modern University of the Year 2018. These awards recognise NTU for its high levels of student satisfaction, its quality of teaching, its engagement with employers, and its overall student experience.

It is one of the largest UK universities. With nearly 32,000 students and more than 4,000 staff located across four campuses, the University contributes £900m to the UK economy every year. With an international student population of more than 3,000 from around 100 countries, the University prides itself on its global outlook

The university is passionate about creating opportunities and its extensive outreach programme is designed to enable NTU to be a vehicle for social mobility. NTU is among the UK’s top five recruiters of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. A total of 82% of its graduates go on to graduate entry employment or graduate entry education or training within six months of leaving. Student satisfaction is high: NTU achieved an 87% satisfaction score in the 2019 National Student Survey.

NTU is home to world-class research, and won The Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2015 – the highest national honour for a UK university. It recognised the University’s pioneering projects to improve weapons and explosives detection in luggage; enable safer production of powdered infant formula; and combat food fraud.